THE INCUMBENT Indigenous People’s mandatory representative (IPMR) is expected to be reinstalled in February through a hold-over status.
Peg-Buyyahon Rodolfo M. Mande of the Matigsalug Tribe is the current IPMR but his term of three years will end on January 10.
Mande was sworn in before then-mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on January 10, 2022, after the seat was vacant for three years.
“Naay arrangement karon tungod sa nahitabo atong wala nakalingkod ang Bagobo-Klata, pero wala pa na-final nga sila, after sa akoa,” Mande told reporters during an interview in his office on Tuesday.
He was appointed after the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) refused to release the certificate of affirmation (COA) for Bagobo Klata tribe representative Cherry Ann Codilla’s IPMR post at the Davao City Council in 2018.
Established in 2012, the rotation of the mandatory representative of the IP in the city council is in alphabetical order. However, as in the case in 2019 where the Klata tribe was not able to hold the post after the Kagan Tribe, Mande from Matigsalug filled in the post.
“Karon nag file ko for hold-over, until nga maplastar gyud ang sunod nga tribe kay ang Davao City dili siya magpalingkod og naay problema, kinahanglan ma-settle sa gyud,” Mande said.
The councilor said the approval from the NCIP for the hold-over status takes about a month and will last until a successor is selected.
The IPMR stands as chairman of the City Council’s committee on Indigenous Peoples.
In his three-year stint, Mande passed an ordinance institutionalizing the Iskolar ng Tribu, seeking support from the city government and other stakeholders particularly the Higher Education Institutions” to strengthen the educational attainment of the IP community.
He also passed the ordinance establishing the KAMOTT-IKASAMA shelter for IP set to be established in Southern Philippines Medical Center, which aims to accommodate the watchers and runners of IP patients.
While he earlier said the P42-million shelter will rise in 2025, lawmakers have yet to file an ordinance for its annual budget and staffing.
